My hobie 14 snapped a rudder last weekend and I have obtained a used rudder.The holes looked very close to the old one but the cam actuator ends up behind the cam when I try to lock. I laid the old piece with the holes on the new rudder. The hole for the tiller aligned perfectly while the hole that attaches to the casting was of about 25%or less of the hole diameter.Before I start filling and drilling haphazardly is there a procedure I can follow to get it right the first time?Thanks

You can find a rudder drilling template here at the Hobie web site. Just follow the support heading at the top. There are two hole patterns - one for adjustable rudder arms and one without. Before you print make sure you un-check "scale to paper size" or similar on your printer settings. You don't want to shrink or expand the template. Print on heavy paper. I cut a file folder to 8 1/2x11 and fed it through. If possible, drill with a drill press. You don't want these holes going through at an angle.

The best way to drill new holes in a rudder is to use an existing "good" rudder as a template. Use your broken rudder or the rudder from the opposite hull.

The easiest way to do this is by screwing or clamping down two or three pieces of 2x4 lumber to a work bench. Arrange the lumber so that it creates "stops" at the leading edge and top of the rudders. Then place the new rudder on the work bench and slide it up against your stops. Place the "good" rudder on top and hold it agains the stops making sure the rudder heads are pressed down flat against each other. Then use a pencil or drill bit to mark the hole locations for the new rudder. Finally, drill the holes in the new rudder at the marked locations (using a drill press is best for getting the holes square).

Thanks for the info. I set up the 2x4's and ir woirked perfectly. The replacement used rudder that needed one hole refilled and re-drilled. I used Marine Tex to fill the hole. Do you think Marine Tex will be robust enough?Thanks again

Marine Tex will work fine for filling the hole in your rudder. I've drilled holes in new rudders, decided I didn't like where they were, filled them in with Marine Tex and redrilled partially through the Marine Tex after it set up and hardened, it it's proved to be very solid and is holding firm. I would caution you, however, against using Marine Tex to fill nicks in your fiberglass hulls. There have been many posts on this forum that say that if you go back over the Marine Tex with polyester based gel-coat (the stuff Hobies are made of) the gel won't adhere well to the Marine Tex, an epoxy based product. Use a polyester based filler to get the best results for repairs on Hobie hulls.